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agenda status: approved

Agenda:

1. Approval of the Agenda (Action Item)
   
   
   
   
2. Approval of the November 17, 2011 UCUS Minutes (Action Item)
   
   
   
   
3. Comments from the Chairperson
   
   
   
   
4. Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
   
   
   
   
5. Proposal to Change the “Dual Enrollment by Undergraduates” Policy (Action Item) .........(Attachment)
   Linda Stanford, Associate Provost for Academic Services
   
   
   
   
6. Proposed Policy Change for Requirements for a Linked Bachelor’s-Master’s Degree (Action Item) .........(Attachment)
   Linda Stanford, Associate Provost for Academic Services
   
   
   
   
7. Report of the Ad Hoc Taskforce on Assessment (Action Item) .........(Attachment 1, Attachment 2)
   Byron Brown, Professor, Department of Economics
   Adele Denison, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology
   Brendan Guenther, Manager, Virtual University Design & Technology
   
   
   
   
8. Roundtable

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minutes status: approved

approved at meeting of 12/15/2011

UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 12/01/2011

Attendees: Zarena Aslami, Mark Axelrod, Henry Beckmeyer, Jan Brady, Crystal Branta, Laura Dillon, Doug Estry, Fred Fico, Kathleen Hoag, Seung Hyun Kim, Evan Martinak, Chris McClain, Nicole McCleese, Tom Morse, Mary Noel, Ron Perry, Patricia Rogers, Ashton Shortridge, Ryan Sweeder, Abraham Wheeler

Absent: Anthony Briones, Victor Draine, Milan Griffes, Justin O’Dell, Helene Pazak, John Reifenberg

The Agenda was approved.

The November 17, 2011 minutes were approved

Comments from the Chairperson
Chairperson Dillon had no comments.

Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
Associate Provost Estry had no comments.

Proposal to Change the “Dual Enrollment by Undergraduates” Policy
Linda Stanford, Associate Provost for Academic Services

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Provost Stanford.

Associate Provost Stanford stated the purpose of the dual enrollment policy was to serve academically strong students and to provide a recruiting tool for retaining talented students. Dr. Stanford noted the change in policy is written to provide flexibility across the university. Individual colleges or departments may have more specific or restrictive policies.

After a brief question and answer period, voice was withdrawn from Associate Provost Stanford.

Motion by Kathleen Hoag was unanimously approved.

The University Committee on Undergraduate Studies, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has no concerns about the proposal to change the Dual Enrollment by Undergraduates policy.

Proposed Policy Change for Requirements for a Linked Bachelor’s-Master’s Degree
Linda Stanford, Associate Provost for Academic Services

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Provost Stanford.

Associate Provost Stanford stated that requested policy change was necessary in order to accommodate Master’s Degree programs that require more than 30 credits to graduate, such as the Master of Fine Arts degree. As University policies need to be equitable for all programs, this proposed action has the effect of tidying up existing policy. She noted that UCAG had already approved the proposed policy change.

In the question and answer period, Dr. Stanford asked if she could be excused for a few minutes in order to locate the text of a policy which would explain why the number of undergraduate courses that could be used in a linked program was ¼ rather than 1/3, as 1/3 would be a more equitable number. The item was tabled until Dr. Stanford’s return.

Voice was withdrawn from Associate Provost Stanford.
Voice was returned to Associate Provost Stanford.

Associate Provost Stanford noted that the percentage of undergraduate courses that could be used in a linked program had been established in the transfer policy memo.

Voice was withdrawn from Associate Provost Stanford.

Motion by Mark Axelrod was unanimously approved.

The University Committee on Undergraduate Studies, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, supports the recommended change in requirements for the linked Bachelor’s –Master’s degree policy that would allow colleges with programs that require more than 30 credits for the master’s degree to apply more than 9 credits toward the master’s degree but not more than one-fourth of the total number of credits required for the master’s degree.

Report of the Ad Hoc Taskforce on Assessment
Byron Brown, Professor, Department of Economics
Adele Denison, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology
Brendan Guenther, Manager, Virtual University Design & Technology

Associate Provost Estry noted that the Ad Hoc Taskforce on Assessment had been created in response to one of the concerns expressed by the University Committee on Academic Policy (now UCUS) in a 3/1/10 memo to the Executive Committee of Academic Council (now the Steering Committee) which stated:

The issue of proctoring is one of high priority, especially in the context of delivering quality educational experiences in online and hybrid courses. However, the proposed changes and additions to the Code of Teaching Responsibility and the Integrity of Scholarship and Gradespolicypotentially have the unintended consequence of generating additional concerns and challenges associated with implementation. It is the view of the committee that proctoring needs to be addressed in a thorough review in order to identify problems and best practices for solution.

UCAP recommends ECAC consider referral to an ad hoc task force/working group…”

The committee unanimously granted voice to Professors Brown, Denison, and Mr. Guenther.

The Taskforce representatives stated the report was an effort to provide some detail on existing problems in online curricula with the central topic being proctoring needs of those online courses and programs in which taking traditional exams is essential to student assessment. Proctoring in online settings refers to student identity management, student enrollment verification, and management of student access to materials prohibited in the exam session.

Following is a summary of the recommendations made by the taskforce.
Short-term – Implementation in weeks to months.

1) The governance system should adopt the recommendations from the Provost's Office to amend the Code of Teaching Responsibility, and the Integrity of Scholarship and Grades. These recommendations will update university documents to recognize the existence of online courses, and establish guidelines for assessment, including proctoring and identity verification, when appropriate.
2) MSU should set up a system to assist departments and schools in arranging for off-campus exams (both paper and computer-based) in online courses.
3) MSU should promote closer ties between Study Abroad Programs and academic departments to facilitate student assessment in online courses when a student in an online course is also enrolled in a Study Abroad Program.

Medium-term – Implementation within a year.

4) MSU should establish a network of testing centers or proctors throughout the State of
Michigan.

Longer-term – Implementation in 1 to 3 years and beyond.

5) MSU should establish a wider network of assessment affiliates, perhaps throughout the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), and nationally,
6) MSU should establish an on-campus, large scale, online testing facility.

Voice was withdrawn from Professors Brown, Denison, and Mr. Guenther.

After considerable discussion, Dr. Estry reminded the committee that UCAP had been concerned that the proposed change in the Integrity of Scholarship and Grades placed the burden for proctoring on students. UCAP suggested that the word “proctoring” be removed from the student responsibilities and added to faculty responsibilities. Regarding item 2.3 in the proposed changes, UCAP asked if proctoring methods appropriate in some settings might be inappropriate in other settings. (See statement “...such measures should be administered consistently in all course delivery methods, e.g., face-to-face or online”)

The discussion was tabled to allow Dr. Stanford to complete her presentation (see Proposed Policy Change for Requirements for a Linked Bachelor’s-Master’s Degree)

Discussion resumed.
The committee unanimously granted voice to Professors Brown, Denison, and Mr. Guenther in order for them to engage in the dialogue and to comment on the committee’s concerns.

The representatives from the Ad Hoc Taskforce on Assessment suggested that it would be important that the committee recommend further campus-wide discussion on how a central online course policy could be beneficial in supporting instructors of online courses, i.e., no central policies suggest that instructors be trained to teach online courses. Additionally, the committee could recommend that the University continue to look more deeply at the issue of online education and proctoring with the intent to create a separate policy.

Voice was withdrawn from Professors Brown, Denison, and Mr. Guenther.

Motion by Evan Martinak was withdrawn after discussion.

The University Committee on Undergraduate Studies endorses the report of the Ad Hoc Taskforce for Assessment with the recommendation that changes be made in the proposed changes to the Code of Teaching Responsibility and the Integrity of Scholarship and Grades.

The committee decided that its recommendations would be better expressed in several motions. The first would address the adoption of the changes in language in the Code of Teaching and the Integrity of Scholarship and Grades. The second motion would address proctoring, and a third motion would suggest that the University work on developing standards of practice for online education and proctoring. As the meeting was nearing its end, Associate Provost Estry suggested that he would put together suggested wording for the three motions that could be discussed at the meeting on December 15.

Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted by
Sandra Walther

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